Back to Georgia
by NikkiEvans
Summary: Damon takes Elena back to Georgia after a bad run in with Klaus, hoping it'll make her remember a time when they were closer. Damon/Elena. A little on the fluffy side. One shot. Written for someone who requested a happy D/E fic.


A/N: This was originally a requested songfic set to Evan and Jarron's Crazy For This Girl, so that would be very appropriate to listen to while reading. I took out the lyrics though because I felt like they were just a distraction. This was written for someone who had requested a happy Damon/Elena fic. Reviews are appreciated!

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"Why are you taking me here?" Elena asks.

"Because it's important," Damon tells her.

"Kidnapping me _again_ and going to Georgia _again_ where one of us will probably almost get killed _again_ is important?" Elena asks.

"Yes, it is," Damon says, "and this isn't kidnapping. Stefan told me to take you somewhere safe to hide."

"Stefan told you to do this?"

"Well, he may have been implying somewhere in town, but technically he never specified so I feel like Georgia is fine."

Elena sighs. "I don't want to run. I don't want to be Katherine or Rose and Trevor."

"Hey," Damon grabs her hand. "You won't be. I won't let you. This is temporary."

"We should go b—"

"No! Elena, look in the mirror. Seriously, look at yourself." She pulls down the visor and it's the first good look at herself she's gotten since yesterday afternoon. She's covered in blood and bruises and she can feel how sore all of her muscles are. Klaus almost had her.

"I look like crap."

"Well, I'd say you look like a vampire happy meal, wearing your blood on your clothes."

Elena rolls her eyes. "You can't take me anywhere in public looking like this. People will think you're a psycho."

"Bonnie packed a bag of clothes and stuff for you. It's in the trunk."

"Everyone was in on this, weren't they?"

"Well…not Matt and Jenna. Alaric told her that your environmental science class is going camping." Damon looks over at her. "I know you're pissed. But we all want you alive, Elena. We tried things your way and it almost got a lot of us killed. Now it's time to do it our way."

She crosses her arms and keeps looking out the window.

Damon checks them into a fancy hotel in Atlanta. "Shouldn't we be more out of the way? Isn't that hiding?" Elena asks. She is wearing Damon's coat to cover her bloodstained clothing.

"They're looking for you, Elena. Hiding in plain sight is easier. Public is better. Klaus and his minions can't cause too much trouble in a hotel that's booked to full capacity."

They're accompanied by a bellman to their room, and when Elena walks in her jaw drops. "This is gorgeous."

"This is the presidential suite. Enjoy your stay," the bellman says and Damon tips him and compels him to forget their faces.

"I figured hiding can also function as a vacation."

"Damon, this is amazing. But are you sure this is okay? A beachfront hotel? Won't Klaus—"

"First place Klaus will look is everywhere in Mystic Falls, then look in shitty motels and low key places. The presidential suite of one of the nicest hotels in Atlanta, Georgia isn't an obvious place for us to go."

"Does anyone know I'm here?"

"No, we all agreed that no one should know. That way no one can talk no matter what."

"They trusted you with that?"

"It took convincing, but Alaric helped me convince Bonnie and Caroline. You're safe with me, Elena."

"I've never been worried about myself not being safe with you. Just others."

Damon turns around to takes their suitcases to their rooms. "You should take a bath. There's a Jacuzzi in the bathroom that the girl at the desk claims is amazing."

It's their second day in Georgia when Damon calls Elena from the dining room. "Lunch is here!"

Elena sits down next to him and asks "Why Georgia?"

"I wanted you to remember the first time we were here." Damon puts her plate of a burger and fries in front of her.

"Why?"

"Because, with the exception of that part where I almost got killed, we had fun. You haven't had fun in a long time, Elena."

"You wanted me to have fun?"

"Yes…with me. You came back from that trip and realized that you could be friends with me. I thought maybe you could remember the reasons you didn't hate me." He busies himself by putting his ketchup on his burger.

Elena takes the top of her burger off and realizes Damon's has pickles but hers doesn't. "No pickles," she says.

"You don't like them."

She looks up at him. "I don't hate you. I hate when you're stupid but I don't hate you," she told him.

"Good to know."

"And I forgive you, just in case that wasn't clear either."

She can see the change in Damon's facial expression. Some of the weight that he's been carrying around is suddenly gone. He just hugs her. He doesn't say anything and neither does she because that was all that needed to be said.

They eat their meal in content silence. When they're finished Elena asks "Can we go down to the beach?"

"It's your vacation, we can do whatever you want."

Damon takes her downstairs and they buy bathing suits in the gift shop. Apparently Bonnie hadn't thought that Elena would be laying out on the beach while hiding. Damon takes Elena out the back of the hotel and they're on the sand in minutes. The hotel has a bar in the sand and cabanas placed sporadically along the coast. Elena bypasses them and lays her towel down on the sand.

"You know the cabanas are there for a reason right?" Damon asks.

"Yeah, for people who like to be at the beach but who don't want to feel the sun on them and the sand between their toes," Elena tells him as she lays flat on her back.

"Alright then, Sassy." Damon laid his towel on the sand next to her.

Some girl in a pink thong bikini passes in front of them. "I do enjoy the beach nowadays. Much sexier than when I was a kid."

Elena looks up and says "Ew." She lightly smacks Damon.

"Hey, I went to the beach at seventeen and I was lucky if I saw a girl's ankle. Going to the beach in full dresses was a horrible idea."

"What did you do when you were seventeen?"

"Same thing that blonde kid by the bar is doing to you now: look at pretty girls."

Elena intertwines her fingers with Damon's. "I don't need any boys hitting on me."

"Stefan will be thrilled that you're making the boys think I'm your boy toy to keep them off."

"First of all, Stefan and I are on a break…_again_. Second, boy toy? I'm holding your hand."

Damon lays down on his back so they're face to face. "Again?"

"Yup. It was a Tuesday, so y'know it seemed about time for us to split."

"I sense a bitterness."

"I'm really not. I'm just tired of…of everything, really."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. You actually made it better this weekend, Damon. I needed a vacation."

Damon smiled at her and then he realized that she was still holding his hand.

"So really, what _did_ you do at seventeen?" Elena asks.

He tells her stories from his childhood. He tells her about his father telling him to look out for girls who could bear children and being thankful that the Civil War prolonged that search. She tells him about how she thought she was going to get married in the first grade when a boy in her class kissed her because her mother told her that married people kiss. They tell stories until sundown. Elena isn't holding his hand anymore but she's cold so Damon put his arms around her and pulled her closer to his chest so they're sort of cuddling now. Once it's completely dark Damon takes her back inside for dinner.

It's after dinner and Elena showered and got into her pajamas. She's walking into Damon's room and finds Damon talking on his cell phone. "Got it. I'll tell her. Thanks, Alaric," he puts down his cell phone and looks at Elena "All clear."

"We can go back?"

"Yeah, hope you didn't unpack too much," Damon smiles but realizes that Elena isn't returning the expression. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just—we're already paid for the night. Might as well stay for one more night."

"You don't want to go back?"

"I just really liked today, Damon. I don't really want it to end. I really don't want it to end with me in Mystic Falls telling lies to Jenna, looking over my shoulder for someone trying to kill me and…"

"And?" He takes a step closer to her.

"And you won't be there."

"I'm always—"

"Yeah," she says as she takes a step towards him, "you're there, but not this you: the Damon who tells me things. The one who answers my questions, tells me personal things, who is sweet and caring and protective. I like this Damon a lot."

"Elena," Damon's voice is very soft as he cups her face with his hands, "I will come back to Mystic Falls with you if you want me."

Elena stands on her toes and kisses him. It's soft, sweet and short. She pulls away, searching Damon's face for some sort of reaction. Damon doesn't let them part for long though. He pulls her back to him, kissing her again but this time more fiercely and for much longer.

They leave for Mystic Falls the next afternoon. Elena sits in the car wondering why she was so reluctant to leave with Damon in the first place. She looks at Damon and catches him looking at her. He looks back at the road and brings her hand to his lips. She realizes for the first time that Damon really does care for her, he could even be in love with her. She rests her head on his shoulder and finally feels happy and safe.

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A/N: Writing a happy Damon/Elena fic without going AU is a lot harder than it looks. Let me know what you think!


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